The West Essex Falls Car is a specially equipped ambulance vehicle, which is staffed by an East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) paramedic and a physiotherapist or occupational therapist from the west Essex Urgent Community Response Team at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT).
They aim to reach people within two hours wherever possible, depending on demand, and have specialist equipment to help lift and move patients.
During every call out, they will assess patients’ physical health, treat them for any injuries wherever possible and check for any potential risk the person could fall again in the future.
They will make sure they have any care and equipment they need and refer to other community services as required
If after assessment the patient needs hospital treatment, the falls team will arrange for an ambulance.
The falls car service launched on 1 June 2023 and has been extended for another ten months until the end of March 2025 following its success.
In its first 12 months, the team helped 1,133 people. The vast majority – 867 patients – were able to remain at home with ongoing support from community health teams as appropriate.
A resident of a retirement complex in Loughton whose 94-year-old neighbour had a fall said: “Two clinicians from the falls car service arrived within two hours.
“They assessed the nature of her injury and administered medication to make her more comfortable while awaiting the arrival of the ambulance. Because of the nature of the injury it was decided not to move her until the ambulance arrived.
“Both paramedics were extremely kind, caring and professional. They were in contact with the ambulance service to check on estimated time of arrival, spoke on the telephone to my neighbour’s daughter to check medical history and medication, and provided myself and the housing manager with support and reassurance about her situation.”
Anastasia Abdel-Malek, Manager at Belmont Lodge Care Centre in Chigwell, said: “We all think it’s an amazing service as it helps the residents in so many ways.
“They do not need to wait for hours on the floor before they are seen. The falls car also has an occupational therapist who carries out an assessment and provides advice on the spot for us.”
The service is for any resident in west Essex who is registered with a west Essex GP, and has had a fall with or without injury, or requires lifting from the floor.
The service operates seven days a week from 8am to 8pm across west Essex.
Claire Amey, a Clinical Practitioner at EPUT who works on the falls car service, said: “I am very passionate about it because it is such an amazing service and we’ve helped so many people.
“We holistically assess our patients and aim to put as many protective and preventative measures in place to keep our patients at home safely.
“Even if we need them to be conveyed to a hospital emergency department, it is still really rewarding to know that we can attend to these patients in a timely manner, doing everything we can to make them comfortable, treat any injuries and maintain their dignity.”
Nicole Rich, Director for West Essex for Community Health Services at EPUT, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to offer this service with EEAST and it’s fantastic to hear how much it is helping our patients, many of whom are elderly.
“No-one wants to be in hospital unless they really need to be and in most cases we can treat people at home and put measures in place to reduce the risk of them falling again.
“This helps them to feel safe, maintain their independence, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.”
Kate Vaughton, interim Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said:
“The West Essex Falls Car is a great example of partnership working delivering benefits to patients.
“Having a dedicated service for patients who need help after a fall ensures a timely response. This significantly reduces the risk of deterioration in the patient’s condition and can help avoid the patient needing to be taken to hospital.
“It also enables us to work with partners to put in measures to help prevent future falls.”
Dr Jane Halpin, Chief Executive of Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, which commissioned the West Essex Falls Car service, said: “The Falls Car is an important service which gets help quickly to frail people who have fallen.
“We know that the longer someone is on the floor, particularly if they are older, the more likely they are to become very unwell and need admitting to hospital.
“This service provides a holistic assessment ensuring that people have the right care, equipment and monitoring in place to help them recover from their fall and keep living independently at home where they would be most comfortable.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard, and Clare Panniker, NHS Regional Director for the East of England, met some of the falls car team at St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping earlier this month to find out more about their work.
Accessing the service
The West Essex Falls Car service is for any resident in west Essex who is registered with a west Essex GP, and has had a fall with or without injury, or requires lifting from the floor.
If you have fallen or need help for someone who has fallen, please call 0300 123 5433 and choose Option 2. This will put you through to someone in the West Essex Care Co-ordination Centre, which manages referrals for the West Essex Falls Car service.
The falls car service operates seven days a week from 8am to 8pm across west Essex.